


The Unseeing World

by saintsavage



Category: Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
Genre: Basically everybody has been reborn, Dream World, Dreams, F/F, F/M, I honestly don't even know how to tag this so I'll add them as I go, M/M, Mild Gore, Modern WOT, People popping outta dreams like it's christmas, Swords, but seriously, doing sword things, he's the exception, old vans, questionable activities, well except for Rand, which is why I didn't use character tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-08-30 04:20:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8518291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintsavage/pseuds/saintsavage
Summary: After several turns of the wheel, things have changed. But is it for better or worse?





	1. Prologue: a little boy who woke

**Author's Note:**

> So! This is my extremely long lovechild dedicated to this fantastic series. Think of it as a modern retelling, only with some major changes to keep things interesting. Because why not. Please forgive any errors, I don't have a beta-reader. I also tried to find any spots where I repeated myself (sometimes I get stuck on a thought and use it in more than one place on accident) but other than that I hope you enjoy this nonsense.

Summer was a heavy, sodden blanket lazily thrown over the shoulders of the city. The humid air slumped against buildings and pressed down, down, down, hard against the napes of those unlucky enough to be caught outside. The whole of the city was being smothered, sweat-slick bodies and short tempers not given the slightest reprieve even when the sun dipped below the skyline.  
  
It was almost enough to make Henry miss home. _Almost_.  
  
Instead he'd taken on an internship for the time between classes, putting more space between him and his country-boy origins. It wasn't as though there was anyone in Mondsfield left to miss him anyway. And the city was exciting, strange and bitter, parts surreal joy and harsh, guttural rage.  
  
His days were spent interning for the Red Party and slinging coffee at a local dive before coming home to Aaron and Gwen. Sometimes Eve, when she wasn't swamped with work, would stop by and they'd have pizza and beer and watch crappy b-movies until three in the morning. Nat used to stop by too but right now she was lying low after an incident with the zoo. They hadn't seen her in what, three months? Four?  
  
Tonight had been one of the rare times that Henry had been left to his own devices. After a quick meal of ramen (though if Eve called he was telling her he had like, a burger or something) he zoned out playing the latest Dragon Warrior game for a few hours and then crashed.  
  
You know, without taking his hypnocil like he was supposed to.  
  
Shit.  
  
\-----  
  
He'd always had nightmares. They were as much a part of him as the color of his hair, the small mole on the back of his knee. They just were there, always. Henry couldn't remember a time when he didn't wake up screaming about men with fire for faces, about blood and rats snapping like kindling. When asked Eve always shrugged it off, clearly uncomfortable with the subject. It was probably the only topic in the whole of the world where she didn't loudly proclaim her opinion and really, that was enough to tell Henry that he should be worried about them.  
  
It's why he'd gone to a specialist when he was sixteen. Without telling the man the whole truth - some things Henry couldn't confront - he conveyed enough of his fear that he'd been given a prescription for an experimental drug that was supposed to prevent dreaming. The side effects were unpleasant but he was more than willing to put up with them if it meant sleeping through the night without screaming until his voice was hoarse like some kind of freak.  
  
Initially he had taken them like they were a new religion, and in a way they were. That first night when he'd slept without a single nightmare? He'd cried in the bathroom in disbelief. It was hard to believe a simple pill had been the answer.  
  
It was true, in the beginning, as a little boy who woke in constant terror, screaming about shadow men and broken-backed rats littering the floor... a better mother than his might have sought the help of doctors and specialists, sought a cure for his perpetual terror, but Tamra Redfield was nothing if not selfish.  
  
No, it had taken pressure from Eve, and hopelessness on his part, to even seek out medical help. And now he was... cured? Mostly.  
  
Trouble was, Henry was notorious for forgetting to take them.  
  
\-----  
  
Henry felt a faint breeze and woke, assuming that he'd left a window open or something. But when he opened his eyes he was horrified (and also confused) to see that he was not in his apartment but in a field. The couch was there, even his tv and playstation, but it might as well have been dropped out of nowhere. This was some straight up Wizard of Oz kind of shit.  
  
But... it wasn't a nightmare. That was something. His nightmares involved a lot more terror and blood, and rats.  
  
"No, it's not a nightmare, just a dream. I'm glad whatever you've been doing to stop them has failed you." Henry jumped off the couch, taking a few steps back as he eyeballed the stranger who had been standing behind him. It's wasn't the fire-faced man (thankfully) but it wasn't anyone he'd ever seen before either.  
  
Still, it was a dream, he shouldn't let it get to him. "I don't really dream." The redhaired man smiled, acknowledging that with a dip of his head. Something about that action was familiar but Henry couldn't place it.  
  
"I know." _Well that isn't creepy at all._ But the man wasted no time getting to the point, because apparently he had one and it involved the sword that had suddenly appeared in his hands. "Listen, this is very important. I need you to run me through."  
  
"...what?"  
  
"Just think of holding a sword, this sword, and use it. I don't know if it'll even work but I'm completely out of ideas as to how to make this right, and it worked once, why not again?" The other man stopped rambling, offering what was no doubt meant to be an encouraging smile but looked to Henry like a desperate one. If this is what normal dreams are like I'm glad I don't have them. "Go on then, stab me. Through the belly would be best, I think."  
  
"I know this is a dream but this is weird even for me." Reluctantly Henry took the sword. It felt real. There was a weight to it, a heaviness that was unsettling. Did things in dreams feel this real? Because Henry wasn't sure that was normal...  
  
"This isn't a dream! How can you not remember, I've already told you-" The man impatiently started to rant but managed to real himself in. Henry had the impression that he'd had a great deal of practice hiding his emotions. Or he would have, if he was an actual real human. "No, forget it. There's too much that needs to be done. Just do it."  
  
"Stab you."  
  
"Yes." The man nodded.  
  
"In the stomach."  
  
"Yes." Another nod.  
  
"Okay..." Henry aimed where the other had indicated and pushed the sword through what he hoped weren't any vital organs.  
  
\------  
  
Henry woke to a shrill sort of shrieking that was only climbing in tone.


	2. Chapter 1: something particularly clever

Henry's eyes fly open and he's up before he can really think, only to stop and stare in open-mouthed horror at what he sees.  
  
Gwen standing on a chair, screaming and pointing. Blood. A man on the floor dressed in strange clothing. A sword that's been kicked under the kitchen table. He's seeing everything in flashes instead of the cohesive picture until it all comes together in a sudden snap.  
  
And the man... it's the man from his dream. It's impossible, but he's there. He knows because Gwen sees him too... unless this is a nightmare. Henry digs his fingernails in to his palm, wincing at the pain.  
  
Real, it's real. All of it.  
  
Gwen was shaking, pointing at the unknown man in their midst and screaming. "What the fuck? Henry what is going on he just appeared out of nowhere am I going insane? I think I'm going insane because this isn't possible and he's bleeding and oh my god, oh my god I just got up to get some fucking water-"  
  
He cuts her off as he moves to the bleeding/possibly dying man on his floor. "Gwen, stop yelling and call Eve!" Henry knows he should have said something like 'call 911' or 'call the police!' but all he can think of is that the dreamer needs help and anyone but Eve is going to asks too many questions that he just can't answer without sounding like he's batshit insane.  
  
As Gwen hurries to grab her cell phone Henry finds, to his relief, that the man is conscious and mumbling to himself. "...all wrong. Can't figure out how he did it. All the same, should be here with them." Grey eyes met with Henry's and for a half-second the strange man was smiling as though he'd done something particularly clever and brag-worthy, like making out with the Queen's luscious daughter.  
  
It was a short-lived look of smugness quickly replaced by dawning horror. "I can't feel it. Why can't I feel it? Where did it go? Henry where is the source? What happened!?" The redhead grabs Henry's arm, surprisingly strong for someone bleeding out on the floor, but Henry is able to free himself without a struggle.  
  
His mouth had fallen open the second Gwen had started screeching and he didn't think it had closed since. He doesn't have an answer for the man because he doesn't understand what he's talking about at all. _The source? What even is that?_ Then again, he doesn't understand any of this; even his nightmares weren't this horrifying. "I don't know what your talking about, I'm sorry."  
  
"It's worse than I thought, blood and bloody ashes." The man's body shudders and his eyes close; for a moment Henry thinks he's died, that he killed a man from his dream and now he's dead on his kitchen floor. Thankfully when he checks the man does have a pulse. _Just what is this, what's happening?_ In the background he can hear Gwen on the phone, hysterically telling Eve everything. It makes him feel guilty. _This is all my fault, whatever this is._  
  
Soon there's a knock on the door. Gwen opens it and Henry could literally kiss the feet of his tired, overworked sister, even if she's not amused. She's already ranting about how drugs are bad and alcohol is basically poison Henry why would you when she sees the body on the floor.   
  
Eve takes one look at the wounded man, her brother, and trying-to-help Gwen and begins cursing like a sailor while barking out orders. "Henry what the fucking fuck!"   
  
If she wanted him to explain she certainly gave him no time, pushing him away, rolling up her sleeves, and getting to work without pause. "Idiot college kids and their stupid bloody pranks. Hand me the scissors in my bag, I need to see the wound."  
  
"What's he doing dressed up like prince goddamn charming?"  
  
"Foolish, idiotic, no-brained- Gwen I need more towels if you can. He's just gushing blood."  
  
"How did he even manage it? Looks like he got skewered by a bloody knife!"  
  
"Wouldn't surprise me. Probably part of some frat trying to impress the girls but ended up tripping and impaling his damn self like a proper jackass."  
  
"Oh no, can't be sensible. That's no fun!"  
  
"Look at me and my bloody dragon tattoos playing with a flaming sword or Light knows what."  
  
"I swear Henry, you should be ashamed! And press right there, firm but not hard enough to squish him or all manner of things will pop out."  
  
"Drunken antics."  
  
"Tomfoolery."  
  
"Pinheaded mollycock."  
  
Finally she leans back on her heels, dark eyes meeting Henry's for the first time. "No help for it, we'll have to carry him. Your roommate in?"  
  
He's confused by the change of topic and dumbly shakes his head. "No, he's working late..." Between them the redhead continues to breathe but it seems shallower than before. "...Eve, is he going to be okay?"  
  
"He needs a hospital. I can't stitch this up on your living room floor. It's nasty." Eve looks at her unofficial patient again, black braid falling over her slumped shoulders. She's a med student but she's only been in school for two years - apparently not long enough. "I'm not... I can't fix this all on my own, kid. I don't have half the experience or the tools. He could have major internal damage."  
  
Henry tries to lighten the mood. "Something you can't fix? Never!"  
  
"Funny." She smiles faintly before getting back to business. "Gwen, we're going to need your help."  
  
Gwen is still standing to the side holding herself, though she's done what she can when prompted. Henry thinks she might be in shock or something and can't really blame her. "Oh. Okay. Sure." She took a deep, shaky breath. "What do I need to do?"  
  
"We need a blanket or something we can use as a makeshift sort of litter." Gwen goes to their room and grabs Henry's comforter, bringing it out questioningly. Eve can be a bit intimidating, especially when her orders aren't followed. "Great, okay Henry help me shift him over as carefully as you can."  
  
Together they shift the man on to the blanket trying their best not to jostle him. "Alright, on three I want you to lift his legs. I'll lift his head, Gwen you prop open the door and then I need you over here keeping firm pressure on this wound. Firm, but not hard, okay?"  
  
"Got it."  
  
Eve looks at them both as Gwen got the door. "One, two, three!"  
  
"He's heavier than he looks - you sure you've got him Eve?" Henry struggled a bit with his side, amazed that someone so thin could be so heavy; then again from what he'd seen the man was packing some serious muscles underneath his clothes. Idly Henry wondered if they'd ever learn his name.  
  
Of course his sister snorted at him like he'd said something ridiculous. "Please, this is nothing. Remember go easy." Sometimes he forgot she was working in an emergency room now, far enough in her schooling to do that. It made him wonder just what was going on with their mystery dreamer that she couldn't handle. Were his organs ruptured? Had Henry done it wrong? Was the guy an alien or something?  
  
Eve was still muttering to herself in between barked instructions, mostly technical jargon Henry didn't care to guess at. It all sounded ominous. They managed to maneuver down three flights of stairs with minimal yelling from his sister.  
  
When they reached the ground floor Gwen ran ahead to start his van - oddly Henry remembered buying the beaten up thing amid a lot of protesting from his friends and Eve, all of them telling him how foolish and stupid it was to buy a twenty year old vehicle just because it felt 'right' but at least now they had plenty of room for the dream man to lie flat since he'd taken out the two rows of seats last week to help Aaron pickup a junker motorcycle he'd bought at an auction - and they eased the man into the back.  
  
He hadn't woken up since his terrified rambling before... Henry hoped that wasn't a bad sign. Gwen fumbled with the gears, hands shaking. Whatever calm she'd managed to gain was deserting her now. In another minute she'd be sobbing. With a nod from Eve Henry moved to the front seat, gently guiding his near hysterical girlfriend to the passenger's side so he could drive.  
  
The trusty van rumbled to life. As Henry exited the garage and started down Quarry St hoping like hell they wouldn't hit the red light the stranger's voice spoke up again, loud and clear. He sounded impossibly alive for a man who could be near death. "Aes Sedai?" The unfamiliar words were a question, of sorts, and Henry glanced back, meeting Eve's baffled stare.  
  
"What did he say?" Gwen had grown still in her seat, pulling her legs up to her chest and holding them tight. The man spoke again, though the effort must be costing him. His voice shook at the end.  
  
"Aes Sedai?"  
  
Eve shook her head, wearing her smooth, everything-is-fine mien. "Everything is going to be okay, you've had a bit of an accident-" A hacking cough - it had to be blood, that wet sound, oh god was he coughing up blood? Dying while Henry struggled with speed limits and turn signals? - followed by one more word. This one was one they could place: "Aiel."  
  
Aiel? What did a dream man want from them? Eve was talking to herself again, or the man, Henry wasn't sure. "Yes, I thought you had that look about you. I did a few case studies there but it's so hard, they're virtually closed off to strangers-"  
  
"You know... Aiel?" He was trying so hard to speak, each word practically screaming agony to hear, let alone say. Henry wished he'd shut up.  
  
Eve nodded softly. "Yes, I know about the Aiel. Everyone does."  
  
"Take... me. Aiel. _Now_." That last word had the growling edge of finality to it, the sort that only comes from men expecting obedience. It was the worst possible tone to take with Eve.  
  
"No. We're taking you to the hospital, you just about gutted yourself doing whatever fool thing you were doing and you need a surgeon in a hurry. I'm sure your parents will understand- now just a minute! So help me you lie back down or I'll-"  
  
Henry could hear the sounds of struggling but he had to focus on the road; even at this hour there was traffic. After a handful of seconds he heard a sound he recognized and winced in sympathy: Eve had apparently cold-cocked her difficult patient.  
  
Beside him, still shaken, Gwen stared ahead at nothing, her lips moving soundlessly. He reached over, trying to offer her some sort of comfort - it had to be a hell of a thing for her to see a man snap out of the air like a cheap trick, life's blood pouring all over their worn linoleum - but she was cold to the touch. Had to be shock.  
  
When they reached the hospital he pulled under the emergency awning and threw open the door, intent on grabbing whoever he could to go help Eve and the unknown man bleeding to death in the back of his van. It was the strangest thing but he could have sworn that he heard Gwen say something as he did. Something about Aes Sedai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that I do use 'oh my god' in one part because I'm trying to show things have changed and there are other religions/thoughts/beliefs at play.


	3. Chapter 2: without any satisfactory answers

The hospital staff had swarmed like ants all around them, rushing the dreamer somewhere in to the belly of the hospital while Henry stood in the entrance, bloodied and afraid. _Please let him live. Whatever this is... I need to know. How he came here, how he knew about the dreams... this can't be it._  
  
...right?  
  
Eve had disappeared, presumably to offer her assistance and any medical information she had, and Gwen was still shaking in the van. Henry felt like a terrible boyfriend for leaving her there but he just couldn't face her right now. Instead he sat in a plastic chair in the lobby shivering.  
  
The man at the front desk took pity on him, bringing a few wet paper towels and some really terrible coffee. "It's okay kid, I'm sure your friend is gonna be just fine." Henry could only nod, giving his hands and arms a perfunctory wipe down. There was still blood on his shirt, probably in his hair given his habit of running his fingers through it when he was nervous, but at least he wouldn't look like he belonged in a splatter movie.  
  
He was still sitting when Gwen came in. She looked better, brown eyes no longer so wild, blonde hair brushed and held back in a ponytail. "Hey Henry." Gently she sat at his side, taking one of his hands while brushing back the black curls from his forehead. "It's going to be okay."  
  
"Everybody keeps saying that." The words are mumbled, but she hears them and nudges him with her shoulder. Gwen had never put up with his shit, it's what he liked about her. As a kid he'd always been an outcast, _that_ kid, and had decided to handle his homelife by being a little shit.  
  
But there was Gwen with her heart-shaped face, snorting at him and telling him he'd better behave or else. As they'd grown she'd always been on the edges of his life, keeping him in line. The only time she hadn't been influencing him had been when he had dated Nat.  
  
He tried not to think about that. Him and Nat had been a bonfire of bad from the get-go.  
  
It was Gwen that was good for him, who gave him laughter and hope. Who was sitting next to him in a stark white hospital after his nightmares had joined them in the real world.  
  
Henry tried to smile at her, to show how much he appreciated her and didn't deserve her, but he couldn't. Every time he tried it cracked in the middle. He settled for leaning against her, head on her shoulder. They stayed that way for a long time.  
  
\------  
  
Eve popped out, freshly scrubbed, to tell them the good news: the dreamer is okay. Nothing ruptured, nothing ruined that stitches couldn't fix. It was some kind of miracle. They were working on him now. "While we wait now is an excellent time to tell me why you had some strange guy in a costume bleeding on your floor. And how he got that way."  
  
Henry glanced awkwardly at Gwen, then the floor. "Ummm."  
  
Eve crossed her arms, shifting in to big sister mode. "Well you'd better come up with an answer other than 'ummm' because the police will be here soon."  
  
It was all he could do to stare at her, oddly taken aback by the information. Thinking about, it made sense, but still... "The police? Why?"  
  
"Because a man was stabbed in your apartment?" One perfectly groomed eyebrow raised and her head tilted downwards a bit, her signature 'and just why is that a problem?' look. It was one he was very familiar with, but what to say?  
  
Henry wanted to explain, to tell her he was afraid of talking to the police because the truth was too fantastical a story. At the same time, Eve was too practical to believe it either. He tries anyway, or starts to. "But he wasn't-"  
  
Gwen jumped in, gesturing wildly. "He just appeared out of nowhere! He was bleeding and babbling and all this bullshit but I swear he just showed up! Like magic!" Her voice is strained but earnest. _Oh Gwen._  
  
His sister uncrossed her arms, putting a comforting hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Gwen... I know this is very stressful but people don't just show up like magic." Eve's voice was tender, but also concerned. It was obvious she thought they were lying or on some kind of drug. _Just great._  
  
"But he did!" Gwen was tearing up, balling her fists angrily, preparing to fight... but she stopped, realizing the same thing Henry did, choosing to sit back with a thunck against the chair. Henry rubbed her arm.  
  
Eve only shakes her head at the pair of them, standing up straight. Whatever she thought it couldn't be good. "It's actually my shift so I've got to go, but you need to think very carefully about your statements. Both of you."  
  
While he knows it's a bad idea he can't help but stop her to ask if he can see the dreamer. "Wait- can I... can I see him? When he's all stitched up?"  
  
"Why?" Eve is definitely surprised by that but she tries to hide it.  
  
"Please Eve... I just. I need some answers."  
  
She seems like she wants to deny him, to keep him away from the whole mess as a way of protecting him but in the end she relents. "I'll have somebody let you know."  
  
\------  
  
It feels awkward, calling the other man the dreamer, but he has to call him something. Since they wheeled him out Henry hasn't moved from his bedside. There had been a lot of uncomfortable questions once the officers had arrived, two tired men who looked like Henry had personally ruined their day.  
  
And Henry was without any satisfactory answers.  
  
Gwen insisted the man just showed up. Henry told them he woke up to hearing Gwen scream. When they brought out Eve told them she was on her way to work when her kid brother's girlfriend had called in a panic. Nobody believed them - there were lots of pointed questions about whether or not Henry had stabbed the stranger for breaking in, or maybe Gwen had, but in the end it was lots of speculation.  
  
He honestly didn't know how he'd managed to convince the cops to let him stay at all. They didn't want to, he could see it in the sullen way they glanced at one another, narrowing their eyes at every small movement he made... but almost mid-You're-In-A-Lot-Of-Trouble-Young-Man-tirade they'd broken off and changed their tunes. It was bizarre. He had to wonder if _they_ weren't on drugs.  
  
After, Gwen called a cab and headed back to the apartment. She had class soon and nothing would keep her from that, not even mystery men. She'd regained most of her composure but there was still something off about her. If he wasn't exhausted, confused, and more than a little scared he might have pushed the issue.  
  
Instead he sat at the dreamer's bedside, watching him breathe, too wired to even doze. Henry was determined to be there when the man woke up.  
  
\------  
  
Aaron came by a few hours later (or maybe less, time had gotten blurry since he'd woken up) looking concerned.  
  
Like Gwen, like Henry himself, Aaron was another Mondsfield transplant. He grabbed a chair and pulled it closer to Henry's spot by the bed, sparing just a glance for the sleeping figure in it. Tall and broad he filled the little plastic chair near to overflowing.  
  
Henry tried to offer him a smile, studying his longtime friend, not for the first time thinking how he was the quintessential jock type, all green eyes and sandy blonde hair - except for the part where he was as gentle as they come. It's how they'd ended up as friends, actually.  
  
Aaron didn't like to see Henry bullied and had made it known. Henry, indignant and furious, had tried to fight him... but after Aaron hit him once he knew he was a dead man. Absolutely dead. Aaron may as well have had anvils from fists. Only the beating he expected didn't happen. Aaron had teared up and apologized and they'd left as friends.  
  
Now they were roommates, together with Gwen.  
  
"You picking fights again Redfield?" Aaron smiled but it was strained. Henry couldn't imagine what he must be thinking.  
  
"I wish." Henry sighed heavily, running a hand across his face. "How'd you know I was here?"  
  
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "I came home and there was blood all over the apartment. I guessed."  
  
"I should have called, I'm sorry I just..." Guilt floated up to the surface of his emotions. _Why didn't I think of Aaron? He had to be so worried._  
  
"It's okay, Gwen filled me in. Seemed pretty rattled. I've never seen her less than perfectly put together." That was true. Gwen's bottle-blonde hair had been sleep mussed and she had been wearing her pajamas when the dreamer had appeared and there'd been no time for her to do more than follow. It was unusual for her because she liked being presentable 100% of the time, even in the morning fresh out of bed.  
  
"Well when a stranger shows up at your door all bloody..." It's the story he'd finally settled on telling. Saying anything else was only making it worse.  
  
But Aaron was Aaron. "Give over Henry, you're a terrible liar."  
  
And that, that was waaaaay too true.  
  
Henry sighed again, wishing all of this would just... go away. "Honestly I had a dream, and this guy was there babbling about the world being wrong and then I had a sword in my hand and he was telling me to stab him because it worked before or something. And then I woke up to Gwen screaming and he was there, in our apartment." Dark eyes raised to meet Aaron's, waiting for it to sink in.  
  
When it did Aaron leaned back, gaze now sharply on the figure in the bed, studying him for the first time. "Bloody hell. You're not kidding. She wasn't kidding. But how is that possible?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
\------  
  
It was about an hour after Aaron had left, promising to do some research on his own, that the dreamer's eyes fluttered open. He seemed drawn to Henry immediately, offering a weak smile. "Henry."  
  
"Hey, umm...." The way the dreamer spoke to him was so... familiar, like they were friends or in the very least knew eachother well. It was disconcerting.  
  
The other man tilted his head, studying Henry for a quiet moment before he spoke again. "That's right, you don't remember our conversations from before." He seemed saddened by the fact. "My name is Rand."  
  
"Rand." His voice sounded breathy and Henry coughed, emotional and unable to understand why. Instead he watched as the dreamer - Rand - slowly sat up, lifting his hospital gown and prodding at the clean bandage wrapped around his torso. When he was satisfied he turned back to Henry, his face serious.  
  
"This is very important: I need to see the Aiel. We both do." Henry's face must have been incredulous but before he could even drum up a reply Eve was in the doorway, probably alerted by the machines attached to Rand in various places.  
  
"I see you're awake." Though her voice was carefully neutral Henry swallowed, worried that she was about to go on a big sister tirade. She still wasn't happy about what had happened and wouldn't be until she had the entire story... which she did, only she didn't believe it. She'd always been like that. Unless she could hold it in her hands, touch and feel it, then she questioned if it was even real.  
  
Eve entered the room and Henry went so far as to wince before remembering that she was a professional and she was at work - she'd save thumping him (them) for later. She got to work doing, well, mediciney things (sue him, he was a programmer not a doctor) while Rand studied her rather intensely. He was pretty intense overall, to be honest.  
  
"There's no need for this, you've done an admirable job. I need to see the Aiel." Rand moved to get out of the bed but Eve shut down that intention instantly, making sure to add a black glare after she resettled him in bed, covers tucked down tightly.  
  
"Not so fast. You're hurt and if I have to knock you out again I will. Stay put."  
  
Rand touched his slightly swollen eye before laughing. "Some things never change."  
  
"What does that mean?" Eve stepped back, looking him over more closely. "Do I know you?"  
  
He laughed again, shaking his curly head. "Not in this lifetime, I fear."  
  
Eve looked back to Henry as if hoping he would enlighten her but all he could do was shrug his shoulders; he was as much in the dark as she was. But Eve didn't buy that and gave them both the stink eye.  
  
\-----  
  
It was a day and a half before Rand was well enough to be released. The injury hadn't been as bad as it had looked initially and he promised that he'd rest so convincingly that Henry almost believed him. Almost.  
  
Henry was there to take him 'home' while Gwen had stopped by with some of Henry's clothes for Rand to wear since his elaborate costume was all but ruined. As Rand weakly dressed they were both a little taken aback by Rand's metallic dragon tattoos. And missing hand. And scars... everything, really. It was a lot to take in.  
  
When he finished dressing he turned to Gwen with a half smile. "You are... Gwen, I believe."  
  
"Yes." Gwen looked to Henry, confused, and he tried to convey to her that everything was okay, just dandy-peachy-fine. Hopefully it was.  
  
"Henry, Eve, Gwen." He says the names like he's memorizing them, or perhaps puzzling something out. It makes Henry uncomfortable, to be honest, but he tamped the feeling down for now and took Rand's elbow, helping to guide him out of the hospital.


	4. Chapter 3: and with each uncovered inch

The second they got in the van Rand asked where the nearest Aiel sept was.  
  
Henry's just thinking _I guess what Eve doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, how much trouble can he get into in a church?_ when his older sister hops in to the back next to Rand, bag in hand. "Not so fast. I know the first place you're going is to the Nine Valleys sept and I'm not letting you pull out all of your stitches being stupid."  
  
"Eve-" Rand looks ready to try and shove her out.  
  
"I didn't say I'd try and stop you. I'm just coming with you idiots."  
  
With the go-ahead from Eve Henry drove to the sept, wondering how they'd even get in. Usually septs were very closed off and unwelcoming to outsiders. The best he could gather is they were sort of like churches and were really, _really_ respectful when it came to books, but that was it.  
  
Still, he parked in the wide lot and together they went to the entrance. Gwen seemed thrilled, all but skipping next to a resolute Rand. Eve hung back with Henry, wary but just as determined as Rand. Whether he like it or not, she saw him as her patient now, and once you were Eve's patient you sort of always were.  
  
Once they reached the wide wooden doors there were two guards standing by, ready to turn them back. It was pretty much what Henry expected. As a kid he remembered trying to get in to the beautiful, intricate building while his mother was off doing... well, probably drinking or getting a fix.  
  
The walls were a flat stucco-white and too high for him to climb so he'd attempted to distract one of the guards and bumrush the cracked door but had failed when Eve shouted at him, wanting to know just what he thought he was doing. The guards had been kind, offering them both water and snacks while they attempted to find their mother. One even turned on a Disney movie until Tamra showed up.  
  
This time he didn't think they'd get so lucky but Rand stepped forward anyway, completely confident. "I wish to see the Chief of the Nine Valleys sept," The two women tensed and Henry felt like they were all about to be literally thrown out on their asses. "or the Wise Ones."  
  
That stopped them both. One disappeared in to the little guardhouse, radioing something to someone while the either regarded them with her head tilted, unblinking. After the first one came back and nodded her head they were escorted in. Eve snorted something about 'chief' being an easy thing to guess but Rand ignored her.  
  
They are led to a wide, open room. The kind that is barren of anything that would remotely signify it's purpose but is lovely never-the-less. Seven large windows are open to a desert-landscaped courtyard while the floor is a magnificent mosaic of warriors fighting in some great battle against strange men in black and white.  
  
The bare white walls only amplify the bright, vivid colors and part of Henry is tempted to ask the meaning behind it but the guards don't seem all that willing to divulge information. Hell, they look like they would enjoy nothing more than chasing them all out of the building like stray dogs.  
  
That's when the women appear, entering the room in single file, each one more solemn-faced than the last. Still, their presence makes Rand's mouth upturn faintly, like he's met an old friend.  
  
Henry studied them more closely. There wasn't much to mark them out. They were all dressed comfortably in shades of tan and cream, of varying heights and builds, and they were all redheads, but how would they know Rand? To hear him tell it he was ancient.  
  
Again, Rand stepped forward, putting himself between them and the women - who only watched him neutrally. He carefully rolled back the left sleeve of his borrowed shirt and with each uncovered inch he revealed his unusual tattoos.  
  
All of their faces went from nothing to utterly shocked, just like that. The tallest one swallowed heavily and licked her lips. "How... how can this be?"  
  
"The Pattern failed to thread me back in to the world... so I found other means." Another one of the women, this one short and plumper than the rest, stepped forward until her hand was inches away from the metallic dragons only to draw back as if afraid. Her eyes met Rand's. "But your face-"  
  
She overcame her hesitance enough to roll up the right sleeve for him while he responded. "I have had many faces and names. This is the only one to have known joy. The only one who did not fail." Gwen and Henry exchanged a glance. "It seemed appropriate to be Rand al'Thor in a world that has gone wrong."  
  
The four conferred among themselves on the opposite side of the room, every now and then glancing back at Rand, then Eve, Gwen, and Henry. Finally they signaled to the guards who went to remove the presumably extraneous three but Rand stopped them, insisting they remain.  
  
For what reason only he knew. Henry was totally lost.  
  
One of the women, the tallest one with numerous bracelets who seemed to be the speaker of the group, went to argue but Rand stopped her with a look. "They are important. It can't be coincidence that they've been spun out together like this, so close to how it was before. If I didn't know any better I would think the Dark One was trying to do it over."  
  
Again, Henry shared a look with Gwen. The way they spoke... it was like they were talking about the end of the world! And who was the Dark One? It sounded like a character from a video game.  
  
"If he is, Rand al'Thor, he has a great advantage. The One Power is almost untouchable here." Gwen went stiff and Henry offered her his hand, thinking this was all a bit too much for her. Maybe it had been a mistake to bring her along so quickly after the shock of seeing Rand bleeding out on their floor.  
  
Speaking of, the tall man grinned cockily at the four - presumably the Wise Women he'd spoken of before. "Then I'll have to fix that, won't I?"  
  
\--------  
  
They're shown rooms, the innermost part of the sept, and that's when things get surreal. The floor is covered in thick embroidered cushions and their hosts gesture for them to sit - which they do because, if nothing else, Tamra Redfield made sure her children had manners and Gwen at this point would have done just about anything in order to stay.  
  
That's when Rand explains the dragon reborn. The Aiel women interject every now and then, mostly when it comes to their own involvement. At some point servants ( _were they servants? did people still have servants?_ ) bring them some sustenance: water and some food, mostly flat bread and a strange, crumbly white cheese. There's also things Henry does recognize, fruits like grapes and peaches, and at all goes very well together.  
  
It takes several hours to cover everything and Henry is grateful for the cushioned pillows they're seated upon even though his butt is starting to get numb - much like his brain about an hour in to Rand's explanation. It's just so much to take in. The man doesn't really expect for them to memorize all of that crap, right?  
  
At any rate, once they finish the room is dead silent and Rand's voice is raspy.  
  
Henry glances at his sister to see that her arms are crossed and she's absolutely _furious_ but holding it in. Gwen looks rapt, like she was hanging on every crazy word. Henry doesn't know how he looks, let alone feels. How's he supposed to feel when he's apparently some kind of mystical hero, only... not?  
  
The four women - who still haven't offered their names, which is frustrating - finally tell Rand they need to discuss this with the others before they can offer their help. "Nothing has predicted this change, Rand al'Thor. It might be better if we did not help you." The tallest woman stares at Henry, appraising him. He doesn't like the feeling.  
  
"I understand. I'm only asking for access to whatever records you may have. We need to be prepared. Henry needs to be prepared, even if he's not... not as he should be." That made Henry duck his head, almost shamefully. He felt like it was his fault somehow, like he had control over what had happened.  
  
As if sensing his discomfort Gwen patted his thigh and smiled. _Easy for her, she's just a bystander._  
  
The women nod in eerily unison. "It will be considered. Come back to us tomorrow."  
  
Rand smiled, bright and easy. Henry wondered how he could smile at all. If what he said was true his life had been horrible. "Thank you, and forgive me for not bringing a gift, I just came out of a... what was it called?" The redhead deferred to Eve who was still steaming.  
  
She practically spat the words out. "The hospital. You just came out of the flaming _hospital_ where you were _stitched back together_ after apparently escaping some magic _dreamland_ where my brother _stabbed_ _you_ in the _stomach_."  
  
Ignoring her animosity the man smiled once more and stood, turning back to the Wise Ones. "Yes, the hospital."  
  
One of them, with fiery red hair held back in a kerchief and some of the greenest eyes Henry had ever seen outside of photoshop, grinned. "Not in our world a day and you're already making mischief? You'd best be careful, it wouldn't do for you to end up in jail." The other three woman glared at her but she seemed unaffected. Henry liked her on principle.  
  
Speaking of which... "Umm, who do we ask for, when we come back? What are your names?"  
  
The tallest woman stepped forward formally. "I am Taella of the Nine Valleys sept." Her voice was very smooth and rich, deeper than before, and her bracelets clinked together as she moved.  
  
It was with hesitance that the curvier one that had almost touched Rand's tattoos came forward, shuffling a bit as though this was a new custom for her. "I am Hanla of the Nine Valleys sept."  
  
Then came the one who Henry had hardly noticed. She was much older and quieter than the rest, preferring to study her unexpected guests. "I am Rinn of the Fallen Waters sept." That one made Rand tilt his head, as though he were unfamiliar with the word. Maybe he was? A lot had changed since he'd last been alive.  
  
Lastly there was the green-eyed woman, the boldest of the four. "I am Kaasada of the Cold Peak sept."  
  
They seemed to expect something then and Henry looked to Rand, confused until the man stepped forward. "I am Rand al'Thor of Two Rivers, The Dragon Reborn, Lord of the Morning, Prince of the Dawn, True Defender of the Light, the Car'a'carn, the Coramoor and Shadowkiller, King of..." It's a very rehearsed speech, clearly something he'd memorized, but suddenly he blushes, a rare, unplanned expression. Henry got the feeling Rand was careful about what he gives away. "I suppose I am not any of that any longer."  
  
"You will always be those things, Dragon." Hanla's voice is encouraging and gentle.  
  
Rand gestures for them to stand and introduce themselves. Henry goes first. "I'm uhh, Henry Redfield, of Mondsfield? I'm a student at Trakand University." Rand nods his head slightly, assuring Henry that he's done it right. Gwen stood next, taking Henry's hand.  
  
"I'm Gwen Albert, I'm also from Mondsfield and a student at Trakand. I'm a poli-sci major."  
  
Eve reluctantly joins them though it's very clear she thinks that this is all ridiculous and will certainly be giving them an earful once it's polite to do so. Henry's just grateful she has manners enough not to offend the Aiel. "My name is Eve Redfield, I'm Henry's sister." She says it like she's just daring them to think about taking advantage of him. "Also from Mondsfield. I'm studying to become a doctor."  
  
Kaasada grins again, "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Tomorrow, when you come, ask for us by name." She looks to Rand and dips her head. "Dragon." The other women do the same as they file out of the room.  
  
Their group is escorted out and all Henry could think is that his world has definitely gotten more complicated than he expected. _I wonder if this is a valid excuse to skip finals? I'm sorry but Henry James Redfield will not be attending finals as he is sort of a Big Deal now. Please just give him an A._  
  
One could hope.


	5. Chapter 4: in what he does not say

Leaving the Sept, Henry and Gwen are up ahead, talking lowly.  
  
Eve holds Rand back, determined to speak to him alone. Her voice is soft, and grim. "Say I believe you. Who... who was I, before?" Again he's struck by how much she looks like Nynaeve. None of the others look like their old souls. But her, Light, how she reminds him of the Wisdom.  
  
Gwen is a brunette, though she must dye her hair as it's blonde in color, with only the roots showing the true shade. It's true she also has brown eyes, like before, but she isn't beautiful, not really. He'd best describe her as common. The type of woman that could blend in anywhere, short in height with a large, well, _rump_.  
  
Then there's Henry, who could be anyone. Curly black hair, dark blue eyes, pale skin dotted with freckles... he's lanky and tall, somewhat awkwardly proportioned, and Rand struggles to remember anyone from his time that fit the profile but comes up blank. Either Henry is someone (something) entirely new, or his face is a mask. _Though he does look somewhat like I did when I changed bodies..._  
  
Only Eve has the same agelessness to her, lovely but fierce. She even wears a braid though it's black instead of brown. And her eyes... they're exactly the same. It makes Rand want to trust her more than he perhaps should. Trust her like she was really Nynaeve and not a stranger.  
  
He relents. "The village Wisdom." He can see the word has no meaning here. _Just like everything else I know, it seems._ He tries to explain. "A healer, a wise woman... you were a little older than I was. You are Henry's sister?"  
  
"Yes." Her response is an absent one, brow furrowed as she focuses on what he's told her. Told all of them. Finally dark eyes meet his own in a hauntingly familiar, brook-no-nonsense manner. _Light, it's so strange to see her like this!_ At that moment she was Nynaeve al'Meara, tugging at her long braid and calling him a woolhead. "You're serious, aren't you? Henry was supposed to be some crazy mythological figure, was supposed to be you-"  
  
Rand blinks, so stuck in his memories that it takes a moment for him to realize how distraught she is. "You're upset?" He doesn't understand why she would be, is confused and rapidly going over everything they've said. _Is she not pleased with who she had been before? Should I not have told her?_  
  
"He's my brother, of course I'm upset! I'm supposed to protect him and everything here makes this Dragon out to be a monster. He destroys worlds, the people he loves, himself..." Eve shakes her head, arms crossed against her chest. She doesn't apologize but Rand hadn't expected her to. He liked her honesty - always had.  
  
"But he's not the Dragon." He doesn't say, _I am._  
  
"That's just it. If he's not the Dragon, what is he?" It's a question he's asked himself a thousand times over since he failed to be returned to the Pattern. He'd felt that moment, had been drawn, blind, to a woman straining and cursing in a hospital bed while a dark-eyed girl sat terrified in the corner. But the moment passed and he found himself still adrift. The wrongness of that troubled him.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
She chewed on her lip nervously. "That worries me more than him being, well, you, reborn."  
  
"It should." Light help us if he's a minion of the Dark. He didn't think she would ever forgive him if it came to that.  
  
They get back to the apartment, it's mid-day and mostly quiet. They've been talking about their lives, mostly. Rand seems fascinated. Aaron has joined in, asking questions about Rand's sword and even his life before. It's easy to peg him as Perrin - if the wolf head tattoo on his arm wasn't a dead giveaway his manner was. But there wasn't time for indulging their curiosity. _There's so much to do, to prepare..._  
  
"Henry, besides Aaron is there someone else from your village very close to you in age? You'd have grown up together and he'd probably have been prone to mischief." _I need them all to be together. If it is the same, Moiraine will need to find them and I won't risk leaving Mat - whoever he is now - behind._  
  
Aaron and Henry share a look. "No, we were the only two boys born around the same time. Mondsfeld is a pretty small place."  
  
"There was Nat." The burly young man seems to regret the words the moment he says them. Henry eyes him sharply, but it's too late to take them back now.  
  
Rand jumps on to the name with particular relish. "Nat? Who was he?"  
  
"Nat, as in Natalie. She's a girl." It's a sullen response, Henry's eyes downcast in avoidance. There's a story written in what he does not say but Rand doesn't know the words. After a moment he picks up the silence, pressing on because the Dragon does not shrink away from uncomfortable situations, he can't afford to. It's a lesson Henry will need to learn.  
  
"I suppose it's always possible. Where is she now? It's imperative you are all together." _It's good that they are familiar with one another, but if I am right then Moiraine will need to be able to collect them together. That can't happen if one is too far astray._  
  
A sharp bark of laughter erupts from Henry. "On the run from the police." He laughs again, clearly amused. That wick of unease is still there but his mirth has buried it for now. "She's in a bit of trouble."  
  
"That sounds about right." Indeed, if Matrim Cauthon had come back as a woman Rand couldn't even begin to imagine the trouble he'd get in to in this modern world. He just had to trust that she'd appear at the right time. _Light, she has to._ "What about your father?"  
  
Henry shrugged, trying to seem unbothered but Rand can see the tenseness in his shoulders, the way he is avoiding eye contact. "Never knew him. Our mom was..." He shrugs underneath his loose tshirt, uncaring - a careful, long-practiced gesture. It's a lie.  
  
His sister jumps in, honest as always. "Awful?"  
  
"Come on Eve she just had a lot of problems." It's easy to tell that Henry has been protecting their mother for a long time, for reasons only he knew.  
  
Eve had no such qualms: in her mind Tamra Redfield was a waste of air. "We don't even have the same father. Or maybe we do, nobody really knows. Mom had the decency to die a few years ago and I had custody of Henry until he turned eighteen."  
  
The conversation winds down after that. Eve crashes on the couch while Gwen leaves for her next class. Aaron has to go to work but offers Rand his room for the day. Henry has a class but he's too exhausted and chooses to head to his room and asleep. Without taking his medication. _Again_.  
  
It's no surprise that the nightmares come, but he isn't alone. In the other room Rand tosses and turns, mumbling incoherently to himself.


	6. Chapter 5: the prophecies are here

Late afternoon comes and Henry blinks awake, halfway shocked to see Rand hovering above him. He'd almost been hoping it had all been some bizarre dream... _almost_. The idea that he was a supposed hero was an appealing one, more so when it might mean he'd eventually have powers of some kind, like the x-men. _Wouldn't that be something? The little nobody from Mondsfield becoming someone great?_  
  
It didn't matter if it was directly ripped from the pages of some story, as long as it was true.  
  
For now they both make their way to the kitchen, neither asking the typical pleasantries about how they slept because they have matching dark circles under their eyes - those are telling enough. Neither wants to talk about the villains in their dreams.  
  
Henry notices the blood is gone and silently thanks Gwen even as he starts preparing coffee in order to bolster their tired minds. It's a process Rand is fascinated by, hell the drink itself holds his interest once Henry explains what it is, but quickly the redhead's mood shifts, chameleon-like, and he becomes serious. It's eerie to witness.  
  
"He's changed so much. The story is the same, the players... but he took so much away from you. Everything I had to make me strong enough you've lost or never been given in the first place."  
  
Henry blew on his coffee, taking a sip before asking the obvious. "Like what?" He's genuinely curious. To him his life, while not the _easiest_ in the world, hadn't been as awful as Rand made it out to be. But then again... how would he know? He had nothing to compare it with.  
  
"My father, Tam. Without him I never could have done what needed to be done, never could have learned the control I needed to master my powers as quickly as I did. My mother died when I was a little boy, but I remember her. She was a good woman."  
  
Well, Henry supposed it would have been nice to have even one parent that wasn't an alcoholic and a drug addict. One that cared about him the way Rand's father had. But he'd had Eve.  
  
It made him wonder how she'd been in that lost age. "And your sister?"  
  
Rand smiled softly, as though he read Henry's mind. _Can he do that?_ "I didn't have any siblings. I was actually an orphan they took in, but it didn't change anything."  
  
"Does that mean Eve is a punishment?" Henry was grinning, glad the mood had lightened somewhat. While he was drawn to Rand, liked him even, the other man was definitely waaaaay too _cake or death!_ about everything. Henry felt like he needed to learn to chill out.  
  
"No, I had someone like her in my life though, and she was a great blessing." Henry would die before admitting it, but he thought of Eve that way too. Not that he'd tell her, no use giving her any ammo if he didn't have to. "Even if she made me feel like a little boy who got caught redhanded most of the time."  
  
Henry took a long swallow of his coffee, more curious than he probably should be. For all he knew Rand was crazy and his appearance was purely circumstantial... but Henry did believe him. _I really do._ "What else?"  
  
The other man shifted, awkwardly holding the cup in his only hand. "Many things. Easier access to the Power, the Aes Sedai... in this Age there are no prophecies to warn the people, no legends to help guide you. But worst of all... he prevented you from being who the Pattern intended. I ought to be rambling in your head right now, as the last man I was, and instead I'm here... here as Rand al'Thor, who has no place in this world. I should have come as Tulin. He had memories of the world beyond what I knew, even Mikel would have been better."  
  
Again, lightening quick, Rand shuffles through an array of emotions, so hard to place that Henry doesn't bother. Instead he focuses on the names, trying hard to remember if he'd heard any of them. Only Tulin tugs at his memory, like something he knew but couldn't place. "But... if you're them, does it matter?"  
  
Rand shook his head. "My memories are already fading, faster than I anticipated. I hardly remember being Tulin at all, I couldn't even tell you what I looked like then. I remember being Mikel, but it's vague. Like a dream." He sighs heavily. "I thought there would be more time before things faded, but it must be different for someone like me. Or perhaps it's different for every person yanked from the World of Dreams. It's hard to say, I'm only the second person to manage it."  
  
"Who was the first?" Henry wanted to know more about the person who inspired Rand's rather desperate actions. He couldn't imagine how it had even happened, how anyone figured it out in the first place.  
  
"Birgitte Silverbow."  
  
Now that, that was a name Henry knew. "Funny." He waited for Rand to tell him the real name.  
  
But Rand just tilted his head, confused by the response. "I'm sorry?"  
  
To convey that he'd understood Rand's little joke Henry smiled and spelled it out. "The video game character?" He should have known nothing would be easy when it came to Rand alThor.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't understand what game you're talking about." Apparently it wasn't a joke or Rand was really, _really_ bad with punchlines. _Which he could be, let's be real._  
  
Carefully Henry set his coffee down and gestured for Rand to stay in the kitchen while he tip-toed in the the living room, hoping like hell Eve wouldn't wake up; she was a notoriously light sleeper.  
  
By some miracle she stayed asleep while he grabbed the case to Dragon Warrior and went back to the kitchen, handing it over to Rand and pointing at the statuesque blonde with the bow. She was on the left side of the cover, dressed all in white, bow in hand, standing next to the main character, the Dragon Warrior, Louis. "That's her, she's one of the main characters in your party. You play as Louis though you can unlock... holy shit, you can unlock _Tulin_! That's how I knew that name!"  
  
Rand bent his head, studying the cover and the back of it with an intent expression. Finally he spoke, almost to himself. "It's as though the Dark One mocks us."  
  
But Henry wasn't thinking about the whole Dark One thing. Part of him had grasped on to the plausible explanation for everything: clearly, this was a prank. Or a very realistic dream.  
  
Trouble was, he didn't believe either, not in his heart. Even with the game staring him in the face Henry just didn't think Rand was lying to him. That it was even possible for the man to lie to him about this. _And there's no way he could have faked Gwen out like that._  
  
Which meant...  
  
"Perhaps we should play this game. Maybe the prophecies are here after all, only no one believes them. Just like Snakes and Foxes."  
  
Now, Henry didn't know what the hell Snakes and Foxes was, but a game as a prophecy? "But it's just a game?"  
  
Even as he said it Henry found himself believing that Rand was right, which was disturbing. He didn't think of himself as a follower, but everything Rand said... it just made _sense_ , even if it was crazy as hell.  
  
"So is war, to the right people." This was mumbled under Rand's breath as he moved towards the living room, no doubt intent on figuring out what a video game was and how to work the system (which might have been amusing to watch - and maybe film - if everything wasn't so serious) like the stubborn man he was before Henry stopped him.  
  
"Wait, just wait. I've got an easier way - one that doesn't involve waking up Eve since she will _literally_ kill us."  
  
Henry led Rand to his room and fired up his laptop. An hour later they were still watching a let's play of Dragon Warrior, both of them a little stunned. Everything the Wise Ones had said, everything Rand had said, was right there. It wasn't exact, but Rand was able to tell him things that were coming up next, explaining what had happened in real life. His life.  
  
It was spooky.  
  
They were still watching when Eve propped herself up against the doorjamb. "Do I want to know what you're doing?"  
  
"Apparently that new Dragon Warrior game is a prophecy." Beside him Rand nodded, eyes glued to the screen.  
  
Eve gave them both a flat look. "So no, I don't want to know. At all."

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, there are and will be nerdy pop culture references throughout this entire story. I regret nothing.


End file.
